Go back in time at Raffles Singapore
Book into Raffles Singapore to learn more about the hotel's history with the Raffles Experience package. Guests will receive a one-hour guided tour of the hotel with its resident historian Leslie Danker. Also included is a three-course set lunch at Raffles Grill or a buffet lunch at Tiffin Room, and a return limousine transfer. The hotel first opened in 1887, and has played host to several notable individuals, including Ava Gardner, Charlie Chaplin and John Wayne. The package costs from 1,483 Singapore dollars (Dh4,052) per person, including breakfast and taxes. For more information, visit www.raffles.com/singapore
Get cultural in the Swiss capital city
Visit the Unesco World Heritage City of Bern, the Swiss capital, with Hotel Schweizerhof's Arts & Culture package. As part of the deal, guests will receive a first-class return rail ticket from Bern to Burgdorf to explore the Franz Gertsch Museum and the Paul Klee Centre. Also included is breakfast, available at Jack's Brasserie or in-room, a one-day Bernmobil pass on Bern's public-transport network, and entry to The Spa. The package costs from 530 Swiss francs (Dh2,011) for two nights, including taxes. For more information, visit www.schweizerhofbern.com
Family fun across the Mediterranean
Travellers with children can take advantage of Scott Dunn's new activity programme, Crew, which launches next month. It will cater to children ages 11 and above, and is available at Costa Navarino in Greece, Sun Gardens in Croatia, and Anassa in Cyprus. The 18-hour programme is across six days, and includes wakeboarding and paddleboarding, rock climbing and go-karting. Crew at Sun Gardens costs from Dh6,946 per person, based on a seven-night stay for a family of two adults and two children, including taxes, from May 29 to June 3 and July 3 to September 9. For more information, visit www.scottdunn.com
Volunteer on your next exotic holiday
Travellers can combine a holiday with philanthropy via one of Soneva Resorts and Residences' "voluntourism" programmes in the Maldives and Thailand. At Soneva Fushi in the Maldives, you can help monitor turtle populations and coral colonies, or work on nearby islands on beach clean-ups and education initiatives. At Soneva Kiri, Thailand, you can work alongside a tropical ecologist to identify and resister rare species of flora and fauna. Guests will receive a "bonus" night's stay, from May to October. Packages at Soneva Fushi cost from $1,188 (Dh4,364) per night, including taxes. At Soneva Kiri, it costs from $1,101 (Dh4,044) per night, including breakfast and taxes. For more information, visit www.soneva.com
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
